HOULTON, Maine — After months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Temple Cinemas in Houlton will finally resume airing films come September.
It plans to reopen Sept. 3 with an airing of “Tenet,” an action thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, who also directed hits such as “Inception” and the Batman “Dark Knight” trilogy.
With the theater’s reopening comes a series of new guidelines meant to continue to protect against COVID-19, the disease which forced the closure of Temple Cinemas, along with many other businesses, back in March.
People entering the theater will have their temperature taken upon entry, and masks will be required in the lobby as well as in restrooms. Masks may be removed once families are seated together, socially distanced from one another.
“We’d like people to show up early, if possible,” said Charlie Fortier, the owner of Temple Cinemas. “That way people will know where they can sit.”
Each screening room will only be limited to 50 people, but “Tenet” will air on both of the theater’s two screens, allowing for 100 people to view the film, with one airing starting 45 minutes after the other.
The pandemic’s impact on the film industry has caused many films to either be delayed or released via streaming apps such as Netflix, though Fortier expressed the possibility of screening “The New Mutants”, the latest film in the X-Men film series, at some point.
The new guidelines are based on those recommended by the Maine Center for Disease Control, as well as the National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO. The guidelines laid out by NATO, known as CinemaSafe, include protocols such as reduced capacity, easy access to hand sanitizer and frequent cleaning and disinfecting of auditoriums.
“We are adhering to both NATO guidelines and state guidelines,” said Fortier. “We really want to make sure everyone is safe, both our employees and our guests.”
Movie theaters in the state of Maine have been cleared to open since July, but lack of prominent film releases and a breakout in COVID-19 cases around the same time kept Temple Cinemas closed. While their lobby will be opening for the first time since March, the theater had previously been selling popcorn on select days to maintain a source of revenue during its closure.
